First half marathon

So on Sunday I completed my first half marathon. I was in my early 40s before I started jogging. I jogged with an ‘all comers’ group for a while at my gym which dwindled to me and one other. I was always the slowest. I did a couple of 10k races , not fast but ok. In a moment of madness I entered the half marathon after a while of having those ‘one day I’ll do it’ thoughts. Literally that week my running partner got injured so i didn’t run for ages as without that accountability it was all to easy to not go out because it was wet, a bit cold, I felt a bit rough....suddenly it’s December! Getting back into routine was hard, running beyond 3 miles felt impossible! I went back to couch to 5k to get my confidence back. Training was hampered by anxiety ramping up, IBS flare up, some horrible weather! 3 weeks before I had a major wobble. I had only done 2 8-9 mile runs which ended badly with awful IBS issues and I wasn’t sure I would be able to do ( the thought of spending an hour in a portapotty mid run was not appealing). Following advice from some awesome people on here I decided to go for it. I had never expected to be any decent time, but I decided to not worry about it at all, my aim was purely to finish.
The day before the run I was incredibly nervous but I slept well and I felt better on the day. I had arranged to start with someone I met on the event page and we ended up doing the whole thing together. This was a big event and very well organised. The forecast had been for a very cold start - WRONG! It was over 10 degrees hotter than forecast, bright and sunny. I had packed several spare layers which fortunately I managed to throw to hubby as we were setting off as I had failed to find the baggage drop.
Part 2 to follow....